Opthalmometer.



N0.s75,27s. PATENTED D110; 31, 1907. E. B. MEYROWITZ.

OPHTHALMOMBTBR.

APPLIOATION FILED my 29,1906.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

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No. 875,278. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907.

' B. B. MEYROWITZ.

OPHTHALMOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29,1906.

s SHEETSSHEET 2.

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No. 875,278. PATBNTED DEC. 31, 1907. E. B. MEYROWITZ.

OPHTHALMOM-ETER.

APPLICATION FILED MAI 29.1906.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

t: B m: f 29 9 .24 24 Unrrnn snares PATENT OFFICE EMIL B. MEYBOWITZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE MEYROWITZ MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Patent,

' Patented 313130.31, rem.

Application filed May 29.1906. Serial r0. 319.271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EMIL B. MEYRowrrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New Yorlgin the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ophthalmometers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a form of optical instrument ordinarily used for measuring the curvature of the eye, and known as an ophthalmometer, although'the special features which pertain to the invention are applicable to perimeters and a wide variety of other instruments for precise measuring.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this class in which all the necessary adjustments and manipu lations can be made from controlling mechanism within convenient reach of the operators hand, and in which the'location of the various adjusting means is permanent and unvaried under all circumstances and conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indicating means in connection with apparatus of the above named character, which is adapted to register the final results of the measuring process directly on a convenient dial and without any special care or difficulties on the part of the operator.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, combination, in the location and in the arrangement of parts, as hereinafter set forth and shown, and finally particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side eleva tion showing an ophthalmometer having my invention embodied therein Fig. 2 is a view looking left in Fig. 1, the usual headrest for the atient bein removed; Fig.3'is a section on t e line Hl II of Fig. 2;; Fig. 4is asection on the line lV-TV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view of the dial which indicates the angular position of the telescope; Fig. dis a view of the dial which registers the separation of the mires.

In an ophthalmometer it is usual to have a telescope supported in a frame so as to be capable of swiveling on its axis, and certain prisms are arranged within the telescope so as to produce two images of an object, instead of the usual single image of the ordinary form. The purpose of this instrument is to measure the curvature of the eye, the

at process being to direct the telescope toward the eye .and focus it on a luminous object or objects reflected from the surface of the e .e cornea, in other'words, to observe the ang es at which luminous objects are reflected from the surface of the eye into thebarrel of the telescope. The luminous objects used are known as the mires, and are generally arranged on an arcuate frame forming a rigid.

part of the telescope, the niires being separable to difierent positions on said arcuate frame. the luminous mires may be seen re-ected from the surface of theeye through the barrel of the telescope, and the angles of reflecticn will depend on the eyes curvature. When the telescope barrel is turned into one part tion, the angles may be of one value, and when it is turned into another-position the angles may be of another value. The purpose of my invention is to facilitate making the necessary adjustments and facilitating the measurement of these angles.

Referring now to the drawings in which like parts are designated by the same reference sign, 1 indicates a base-board or table having standards 2 and 3 thereon. The standard 2 is the usual headrest, which need not be described, and the standard 3 carries a journal 4, in which the telescope barrel 5 isrotatably supported. 6 indicates the arcu-= When the instrument is ad 'usted arcuate frame 6' is rigidly attached to, and

moves with the barrel 5 of the telescope, under all conditions. These features forrn the ordinary and well known construction of ophthalmometer, and constituteno part of my invention.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 3 and ,4 of the drawing it will be seen that the barrel 5 of the telescope has a dial 8, and a ring 9, which are both rigidly fixed thereto in addition to the arcuate frame 6 for the mines.

The journal bearin 4 carries an annular housing 10 around t e dial 8, and which has an index 11, for registering the movement of the dial. The ring Q-ef the telescope carries a pivoted pointer 12, which has a rtion l2, constituting a detent, as will ereinafter more fully appear.

In addition to the above parts which are rigidl fixed to the telescope barrel, there is an a ditional part which 1s loosely sleeved upon it. I shall term this. sleeve the mire adjustment, and it is indicated at 13 in the .45 the mi're adjustment 13 would be likely to turn with'the telescope barrel, even if the pinion24 were continuously in mesh, and in some cases I use this construction. I premain frame or standard 3.

. .agny 'movemento when the telescope is moved by having the therewith at all points.

18 indicates a gear which is cut on or attached to the mire adjustment 13, and 19 indicates a bevel gear in mesh with the gear 18,

and connected .to a small pinion 20, by a shaft 21. The shaft 21 is journaled in the frame 6 for the mires, so that the gears 19 and 20 always have a fixed axial relation to the mire frame ,and to the telescope. Each of the mires has a curved rack 22,. both in mesh with the pinion 20, so that when the inion is turned, the mires are separated from one another or brought nearer together.

This result is secured whenever the gear 18,

is turned relatively to the telescope barrel, but there is no adjustment of the miresin case the gear 18 rotates with the'telescope barrel.

For the purpose of turning the mire adjustments relatively to the telescope barrel I have provided a short shaft 23, ournaled in the standard 3, and having a pinion 24. 2-5 indicates gear teeth out in the dial plate 15, so as to be capable of meshing with the pinion'24. Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the short shaft 23 is capable of longitudinal'movement within its supporting standard, having a handle or button 26, by which such movement is secured. 27 indicates a spring by which the button, and thereby Iits. connected shaft, are normally ressed outward, so as to disen age the pin- 1011 24: from the gear 25. .Un er thes'e circumstances, the mire adjustment 13 turns freelyxwhenever the telescope barrel turns, and there being no relative movement of the gears .18 and 19, the position of the mires is not changed. In ractice the friction of the mires onrth eirgui es is considerable so that ferffhowever, to preclude the possibility of the mires ontheir frame pinion 24 disengage itself .when not in use by he sprin connection above described.

. In addltion tothe above features there is an'auxiliary pointer 28, mounted on a ring 29, which is contained in an annular recess in the face of the dial late 15, and which moves therewith unless ot erwis'e restrained. This rin and its connected pointer move with the dia on account of the frictional engagement The pointer 28 has,

I however, a slot 30, and this slot is in'the ath of the detent 12 previously mentione so that when the telescope pointer 12 is thrown gear wheel 25.

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.inward, the detent 12 may be made to en- 4 ter the slot 30 and hold the two pointers rigidly together, regardless of any independent movement of the dial plate 15.

The operation is as follows: I will imagine that the operator first wishes to measure.

the curvature of the eye in a horizontal plane. i

The telescope is, therefore, adjusted so that the zero mark of the dial 8 comes opposite the-index 11. At this time the pointer 12 is thrown up, so that the detent 12 is'engaged with the slot 30, and the two pointers are, therefore, positioned together, pointing vertically at the center of the instrument. The operator now focuses the telescope on the eye-so as to see the images of the mires therein, and manipulates the button 26 by pressing it inward m-the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, so that the pinion 24 engages the The operator now turns the button 26, transmitting motion to the mire adjustment 13, and the various gears 18, 19 and 20, the motion of which is effective to ad just the mires upon their frame. When the images within the telesco e come to a certain predetermined relation, which need not be described, the operator throws out the detent *12from its engagement with the slot 30.

The position of the pointers-at this time upon thev scale 16 indicates the separation of the mires, and therefore the amount of curvature of the eye in a horizontal plane. I have shown the dial 16 with two diflerent scales thereon adapted for the different pur1 poses of optical measurement. I will now assume that the operator wishes to measme the curvature of the eye in a vertical He first turns the telescope barrel' or example by taking hold of the arcuate frame 6 so that the 90 division mark comes opposite the pointer 11; 'In this movement the mire adjustment '13 continues in unvarying relation with the telescope barrel. This is on account of its friction therewith, and on account of the friction of the mires, as above stated. On account of the fact that the pinion 24 is disengaged from the gear'25, any possibility of error from its retardation of this part is recluded. The operator now observes the images of the mires in the new relation, and maniulates the button 26 to move the mire ad ustment 13 until proper conditions are secured as in the above case, Inasmuch as the pointer 28 is now disengaged from the ointer 12, said pointer 28 moves with the ial plate, or, in other words, continues to point to the original register corresponding to the measurement for the horizontal curvature ofthe eye. The new adjustments are, of course, indicated by the pointer 12, as before. ;Accordingly when the operator has finished, he has recorded upon the dial two measurementscorres 0nding to the horizontal'and to the vertica curvatures of the eye, and he also has the difference in the reading corresponding to the separation of the two ointers.

The feature whic I wish to emphasize is the fact that under all circumstances and conditions, the mire adjustment button 26 is in exactly the same unvarying relation to the frame and to the standard of the instrument. The 0 erator is, therefore, always able to place his hand on the buttonwithout looking for it, which is not only convenient in that it enables him to proceed Without interrupting-his observations, but is also, in some cases, really very important, because the observations are taken in a darkened room, and if the position of the adjustment button is continually changed, the operator. cannot find it, not being able to see it, and not knowing where to feel for it with his hand.

While I have shown the adjustment button 26 I do notregard this as absolutely essential, because the mire adjustment 13 has a fixed and unvarying relation to the standard and frame in the same way as thebutton 26. In some cases I may, therefore, make the mire adjustment by manipulating the dial plate 15 directly with the fingers, instead of. through the pinion 24. For this purpose the housing -17 would, of course, have to be removed.

What I claim is 1. In an ophthalmometer having a telescope and mires adjustable, with relationthereto, axial meansfor adjusting the separation of the mires, said means'having an unvarying axial position during the turning of the telescope.

2. In an instrument of the class described having a telescope and mires adjustable with relation thereto, a mire adjustment co-axial with the telescope,-where'by its axial position is unchanged when the telescope is turned.

3. In an instrument ofthe class described having a telescope and mires adjustable with relation'thereto, a mire adjustment co-axial with the axis of the telescope, said adjustment having a dial also concentric with the telescope. I

4. In an instrument of theclass described having a telesco e with a dial, and mires adjustable with re ation to the telescope, a mire adjustment co-axial with the telescope and having a dial, said dial being co-axial with the dial of the telescope.

5. In an instrument of the class described i atelescope having a sleeve adjustable thereon, said sleeve having a portion with gear teeth, a inion movable into and out of mesh wit said gear ;-teeth, 'and .means whereby said pinion may be moved into intermeshing relation when desired. I

6. In an instrument of theclass described I having a, telescope and mires, a telescope having a sleeve adjustable thereon, said sleeve havin "a portion with gear teeth, a pinion mova le mto and out of mesh with said gear teeth, means whereb. said inion may be moved into intermes ing re ation when desired, and gear connections from said sleeve to said mires ,whereby they are adjusted when the sleeve is-turned.

7. In an instrument of the class described, a telescope having parts connected thereto for making measurements and observations,

'- a dial connected to the telescope for indicating'its angular position, a sleeve on the telescope also havlng a dial, and connections fromsaid sleeve to said parts for adjusting them with relation to the telescope.

8'. In an instrument of the class described,

a telescope having mires adjustable with relation thereto, a mire adjustment co-axial withthe telescope having gear teeth, a inion spring pressed out of engagement wit said ear teeth, and means .for movin said pinion 1nto' intermeshing relation an turning it when desired.

9. In an instrument of the class described, a telescope having parts adjustable with relation thereto, a sleeve on the telescope for adjusting said, parts, a dial on said sleeve, a

pointer on the telescope indicating on said ial, and an {additional pointer normally movable with the dial, said last named pointer having means whereby it may be locked in immovable relation with respect to the telescope.

'10. In an instrument of the class described, a telescope having a sleeve adjustable thereon, a shaft connected to rotate said sleeve, and means whereby said shaft may be disengaged from the connection with the sleeves.

In witness whereof, I subscribe signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

I EMIL B. MEYROWITZR Witnesses:

HOWARD lU. PEASE, \BERTHA TROMPETER. 

